2010 ST JAMES MAR THOMA CHURCH OF ROCKLAND Please Pick Up Your Copy Private Circulation Only If undelivered, please return to: Rev. Mathew Varughese 526 Route 306 Wesley Hills, NY 10901 16 42 Fourth Street Hillburn, NY 10931 Phone: 845-357-5670 Office & Vicarage 526 Route 306 Wesley Hills, NY 10901 Phone/Fax: 845-362-8158 Web Site http://www.sjmarthoma.org
Executive Committee - 2010 Office Bearers Area Code (845) Email @marthoma.com Vicar & President Rev. Mathew Varughese 362-8158 mv Vice-President P. D. Joshua 426-0166 pdjoshua Secretary Rajan Mathew 624-2114 rmathew Treasurer Kuruvilla Cherian 365-1336 cheriancpa Accountant George Karakal 624-1108 gkarakal Lay Ministrant Shaimi Jacob 553-4370 shaimi Chacko P. George 268-4435 chackop Committee Members Clarkstown Area John Varghese 268-4292 --- Clarkstown Area Moncy Kurian 268-0250 --- Ramapo Area Jose Mathunny 352-1631 --- Ramapo Area Beena John 425-3788 --- Orangetown Area Alex Mathew 359-0359 --- Orangetown Area Philip N. Philip (201) 358-1230 --- Assembly Member Gigi Tom 268-3532 gigitom Mandalam Member George Kurian 359-9251 gkurian Edavaka Mission Varghese Thomas 398-0577 vargheset Choir Babu Mathew 623-2559 babum Sevika Sangham Mariamma Joshua 426-0166 mjoshua Sunday School Elizabeth K. Cherian 365-1336 cheriancpa Youth Fellowship Dennis Samuel 613-7673 --- Yuvajana Sakhyam Mariamma Ninan 639-1128 mninan Auditors Auditor John Job 267-3387 jjob Auditor Ajay Pappan 504-0599 apappan Maintenance Committee 1 year term Alex Mathew 359-0359 2 year term Thomas Ninan 639-1128 3 year term Sanjayan Joseph 215-9357 Other Contributors alexmat tninan sjoseph Rec. Secretary Babu Mathew 623-2559 babum Senior Citizens Zachariah Abraham 425-7844 zabraham Website Administrator Thomas V. Cheriyan 627-0227 thomas 2 Worship Service Every Sunday 10:15 am Sunday School (9/1 6/30) Regular Parish Activities Every Sunday 09:00 am Choir Practice Every Sunday 01:15 pm Area Prayer Meetings Orangetown Area First Saturday 07:00 pm Ramapo Area Second Saturday 07:00 pm Clarkstown Area Third Saturday 07:00 pm Youth Fellowship First Sunday Third Saturday After Service 10:30 am Yuvajana Sakhyam Third Friday 07:00 pm Sevika Sangham Edavaka Mission Young Families Fellowship Senior Citizens Fellowship First Monday/Tuesday Third Monday/Tuesday First Friday Third Thursday 07:00 pm 10:00 am 07:30 pm 07:30 pm Fourth Saturday 03:30 pm First Tuesday 07:00 pm 15
Parish Day Parish Updates Vicar s Message Volume XX Issue 12 DECEMBER 2010 Our 20th Parish anniversary day will be celebrated on Sunday December 05, 2010 immediately after the Holy communion service. Guest Speaker: Mr. John Varghese, Evangelist, Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association Christmas Carol Service Our Christmas Carol service will be held on Friday, December 24, 2010 starting at 7:00 PM at our church. Our Guest speaker will be Ret. CNI Bishop Rev. Dr. George Ninan. Christmas Special Offertory As per the decision of the generalbody meeting decision held on November 27, 2010, this year we are changing the house to house caroling to a single gathering in each area prayer group. All members are requested to kindly submit their annual Christmas Offering during one of this prayer group gathering or during this Christmas season. Watch Night Service. Our watch night service will start at 9:30 PM on Thursday, December 31, 2010. There will be Holy Communion service in malayalam. Obituary Brother of our member Mr. T. T. George passed away in Kerala. Our Prayers and condolences to the bereaved family. Beyond Celebrations. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich yet for your sakes he became poor that you through his poverty might become rich( 2 cori. 8:9) Let us thank God for giving us one more year to celebrate Christmas. Festive seasons are helping us to maintain the equilibrium of our social life. There are also plenty of possibilities to lose Christ from our Christmas celebration. Christmas can become a mere holiday, a time to eat and drink more, at the cost of Christ. After December 25 th we dismantle our Christmas tree, and we repack it again for the next season. Christmas has become a mere nostalgia. Our celebrations are not filling the vacuum in our mind. Baby Jesus is still in search of a crib. Are we ready to give ourselves to be his crib and bear the cross? On the first Christmas God became poor. It is believed that God and the world are two different entities. God is superior and the world is inferior. Superior God cannot relate with inferior world. On the first Christmas the superior God became inferior human being. God who was rich became poor for our sake. God took the decaying flesh; Flesh is subject to emotions, ups and downs of life, whereas God is beyond change. By becoming a human being God entered into the feeling level of men. He understood us as we are; he lived among us and shared our pains and happiness. God left the glory of heaven for the salvation of the world. He was humiliated as bastard, labeled as blasphemer and finally killed as a criminal. God became poor for our sake. Christmas is a call to each one of us to become poor for the betterment of others. As long as we are clinging on to our richness we cannot make others rich. Thousands of people live on this world in meager poverty. Few people are in plentiful. Our resources should help others. Voluntarily, we should leave our comfort for others. On the first Christmas God opened the door of reconciliation. First man Adam disobeyed God and thus all the humanity came under God s wrath. Second Adam Jesus reconciled God with the world. He lived among us as a mediator and he died for us and went back to heaven to prepare a house for us. Christmas is a call to reconciliation. Let us forgive each other and accept each other just as Christ accepted us. May the good God help each one of us to celebrate this Christmas meaningfully. I wish you a meaningful Christmas and a Christmasful New Year. Yours In His Service, Mathew Varughese Achen, 14 3
Worship Services Date Time Service Dec 05 10:15 AM Holy Communion (Malayalam) Dec 12 10:15 AM Holy Communion (English) Dec 19 10:15 AM Holy Communion (Malayalam) Dec 24 7:00 PM Carol Service Dec 25 9:30 AM Holy Communion ( English) Dec 26 10:15 AM Divine Service (Malayalam) Area Christmas Carol Gathering Area When Where & Time Ramapo Sunday 12 Clarkstown Saturday 11 Orangetown Saturday 18 George Alexander, 3 Rock Cut Circle, Newburgh, NY 12250 at 7:00PM Thomas Ninan, 17A Deerwood Drive, New City, NY 10956 at 7:00PM Alex Mathew, 21 Edward Street Sparkill, NY 10976 at 7:00 PM Dec 31 9:30 PM Holy Communion (Malayalam) Date Theme Dec 05 Dec 12 Dec 19 Dec 25 Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth - 'Bearers of Good News' Bible Sunday (3rd Sunday before Christmas) Birth of John the Baptist - Hope for the World (2nd Sunday before Christmas) Annunciation to Joseph - Invitation to participate in the plan of salvation (Sunday before Christmas) Feast of nativity. Birth of Our Saviour (Yaldo) Date Dec 05 Dec 12 Dec 19 Dec 25 House-Keeping Coordinators Coordinators Moncy Kurian & Family Thomas V. Cheriyan & Family M. S. Eapen & Family Linu Abraham & Family Dec 26 Celebration Lordship of Christ the King Dec 26 John Mathew & Family Dec 31 End of the Year - God who is always with us Dec 31 Rajan Mathew & Family Service Assignments Date Service Assistant Usher Usher Dec 05 George Kurian Sally C. Ninan Joanna M. George Dec 12 Jovel Mathew Jerry John Steven Babu Dec 19 John K. Alexander Alex Mathew Jessy Mathew Dec 25 Nitin P. John Steven Tom Jeremy Mathew Dec 26 Chacko P. George Kevin Mathew Philip Mathew Dec 31 Kuruvilla Cherian George Karakal Shimy Jacob 4 13
Scripture Reading Assignments Date Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Dec 05 John Mathew Beena John With Love and Prayers from the St James Family 1 Remani Joseph Edison 1 Steven Tom Congers 6 Tinu George Varghese Rock Tavern 16 Bindu Abraham Nanuet 17 Joel George Thomas Spring Valley 18 Alex Mathew Sparkill 20 Zachariah N. Abraham Spring Valley 21 Stacey Sara Jacob Nanuet 27 Teddy G. Alexander Newburgh 27 Thomas V. Cheriyan Nanuet 29 Sophia Philips New City 30 Jisha Jacob Tappan 1 M. S. & Aleykutty C. Eapen Pallisades 8 Linu & Bindu Abraham Nanuet 23 Thomas V. & Elizabeth Cheriyan Nanuet 31 Rajan & Alice Mathew Nanuet Dec 12 Thomas V. Cheriyan Elizabeth Cheriyan Dec 19 Linu Abraham Bindu Abraham Dec 25 Joel George Thomas Sophia Philips Dec 26 Rajan Mathew Alice Mathew Dec 31 Gigi Tom Mariamma Ninan Lectionary Date Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Epistle Gospel Dec 05 Gen. 33:1-17 2 Cor. 1:3-11 1Thes. 3:6-13 St. Luke. 1:39-45 Dec 12 Isa.55:6-13 Acts. 11:19-26 Heb. 4:1-13 St. Luke. 1:57-66 Dec 19 Isa.11:l-10 1 John.5:l-12 Rom.l:5-16 St. Mat. 1:18-23 Dec 25 Isa. 9:1-8 Gal. 4:1-7 Heb. 1:1-12 St. John. 1:1-14 Dec 26 Jer. 23:1-8 Acts. 2:21-36 Phil. 2:1-11 St. Luke. 10:21-24 Dec 31 1 Sam. 7:1-17 Heb. 13:7-21 Eph. 5:15-21 St. Mat. 6:25-34 12 5
Choir Practice Choir Every Sunday after Church Service except First Sunday Note: If you play a musical instrument and would like to be a part of the Choir, please contact Achen Dec 05 -- Parish Day Dec 11-18 Christmas Carol Gatherings. Dec 24 -- Christmas Carol Service Upcoming Events Dec 25 -- Christmas Service Edavaka Mission Dec 31 -- Watch Night Service Regular Prayer Meeting/Bible Study: No meeting scheduled for this month Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Sevika Sangham Regular Prayer Meeting/Bible Study: No meeting scheduled for this month 6 11
Sunday School Sunday School will be held every Sunday at 9:00 AM Toy Drive Our Sunday school is planning to donate new toys for the needy children through the organization People to People. The toys will be handed over to People to People on December 20 th 2010. Sunday school teachers, students and parish members are requested to participate in this toy drive. Please wrap the NEW toy. Identify weather the toy is for Boy or Girl and also indicate the age group for the toy. Please contact Mrs. Mariamma Nianan for more details KIDS PAGE Youth Meeting: When: Sunday 05 Where: At our church Time: After Lunch Youth Fellowship Yuvajana Sakhyam Regular Prayer Meeting: No meeting scheduled for this month Please submit your answers to our Achen by Nov 15, 2010 10 7
St. James Mar Thoma Church - December 2010 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 3 4 5 Holy Communion (Mal) - 10:15AM Parish Day - After service Youth Fellowship Meeting 6 7 8 9 10 11 Clarkstown Area Christmas Carol Gathering 7:00PM 12 Holy Communion (Eng) -10:15AM Choir Practice after service Ramapo Area Christmas Carol Gathering 7:00 PM 13 14 15 16 17 18 Orangetown Area Christmas Carol Gathering 7:00PM 19 Holy Communion (Mal)-10:15 AM 20 21 22 23 24 Carol Service 7:00 PM 25 Holy Communion Service (Eng.) 9:30AM Choir Practice after service 26 Divine Service (Mal.) -10:15AM Choir Practice after service 27 28 29 30 31 Watch Night Service Holy Communion (Mal) - 9:30 PM 8 9